Cute, fun plot with great variety of characters👻

4.5🌟 stars
Okay, the ghosts here don't wear sheets, but they're everywhere and include some winsome and some sad characters, all in need of single mom (living) heroine Callie Chase to step in and solve problems. I even enjoyed prim, crotchety ghost Agnes and her troublemaker adopted daughter Florrie: what a great backstory. The ghosts represent a variety of time periods going back to the Romans, Shakespeare's time, Victorian, WWs I and II, the Swinging Sixties, etc.

I loved the author's Tuppenny Bridge series (no paranormal element there) and picked this one up merely because I liked Sharon Booth's writing and plot development abilities. I am really glad I did, because the ghosts quickly grew on me and Callie and her daughter Immi worked so well with the unique situation thrust upon them. Immi was a special favorite of mine as she totally embraces the upheaval in their lives and teaches her mom a thing or two about dealing with a life surrounded by spectres!

I found it both light and poignant at times as some of the ghosts reveal how they had lived and died. But a generally good-feel story and endearing characters. Looking forward to more of this new series!

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared 3/27/25 on Waterstones and Goodreads, and with BAM and Barnes & Noble. To be shared with kobo, Google Play and Bookbub after publication.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Boldwood Books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Dull.

What a cosy little village full of ghosts! I loved this first installment to the Rowan Vale series, looking forward to the next book set to drop this summer. All of the cast of characters were delightful and unique and oddly charming. This is perfect for the fall, but truly can be enjoyed anytime of the year!

This is very light on the romance, and that part is not even a slow burn, it's more of a slow simmer. I didn't think there was enough lead up between the heroine and hero to explain the depth of feelings in the end. The relationships between the people and the ghosts is sweet and I felt like there could have been even more mystery surrounding the lives of the ghosts. Hopefully as the series continues those stories will unfold as well. It was a light, cute read. Very British, so some of the references went over my head. I will probably read the other books as they come out.

I received an eARC and all opinions are my own.

Cosy romance that is perfect for a lazy day at the beach or a rainy day by the fire

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic start to the series. This is such a fun story, full of great characters (both living and dead!), some heartwarming moments, some sad moments, and humour. Callie Chase is able to see the ghosts that inhabit Rowan Vale and the Harling Estate alongside the living inhabitants. She ends up, through a rather bizarre arrangement, purchasing the entire estate, including the village,for a measly sum. She's then dumped in at the deep end, having to figure out how to keep everyone happy. A unique cozy story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope there'll be many more stories in this series.
Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Sharon Booth for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

The concept of this book is what grabbed me. I love a good cozy "ghost" story and this delivered that!

The different side characters were far more developed than the main character. I didn't connect with her whatsoever and found her to be incredibly irritating. The side characters were what kept me reading if I'm being honest.

I also found that because Callie was completely underdeveloped as a character, I didn't care about the romance whatsoever.

I'll be curious to see if the next book in the series is from another POV because I'm not sure I can read another book from Callie's.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The title and fact that this was compared to the TV show Ghost is what got my attention and I'm happy to report that the story completely met my expectations. I especially liked the setting and the characters. I enjoyed reading about all the ghosts and finding out about their stories. My only complaint is that the romance felt a little underdeveloped. We could have seen more of it. I'm glad that this will be a series as I am interested in reading more about some of the other ghost characters. I'm sure some of them have more to tell.

Callie helps out on her daughter's school trip to Rowan Vale, and soon her life changes dramatically! This is a fabulous cosy story about villagers living shoulder to shoulder with ghosts from different eras, a story about found family, friendship and romance.

I hope this is the first in a series - it was the perfect introduction to multiple characters, with the story set nicely for future books. It is written in a very easy to read style, and I loved the descriptions of the village, it was easy to picture. I also loved the different historical periods that the ghosts were from. I can't wait for book two!

This is a really quaint story! As a big fan the tv show ghost's I absolutely adorned this tale. The author uses a light hearted plot to delve into much deeper themes. Including an adoptive family, the fear of change and passing the reigns, protective parenting and the turmoil of young adolescence. Mixed with a slow burn romance. It's definitely an enjoyable cosy read!

I love a cosy romance with a hint of the supernatural, add in the Ghosts vibe and I was immediately hooked!

Cosy paranormal romance, this book was such fun and gave me all the feels. Callie gets the opportunity of a life time and I am excited to see where this series will lead.

This book is so cute! I can't wait to read more in this series. I love this whole premise. Romance tropes and ghosts. A quick read, but a good one.

I really enjoyed this book. Good cozy paranormal. The FMC is offered to buy a manor at a cheap price so she can be the next to run and take care of it and it's residents. I would recommend this book.

when Calllie goes on a school trip with her daughter to a cotswolds village that is a living museum things are not as they seem.
As soon as they get there Callie encounters village people dressed in vintage costume fighting.
Not happy with this happening on the school trip she reports it when she gets back home only to get an invatation to go back as she has the gift of seeing the dead .
she lost the gift when she was young as her mother didn.t believe her but its back and to top it off her daughter can see them to.

I thought this had an intriguing synopsis and found that I thoroughly enjoyed this. When Callie goes on a school trip as a parent helper to Rowan Vale little does she realise that her life will change forever. The village is run as a living museum and initially Callie doesn’t realise that some of those she is talking to can’t actually be seen by others because they are ghosts! Then the elderly owner of the village makes her an offer to buy the village for £10……… I really loved how the story developed, the characters and their interactions and also the backstories of the ghosts. This is lighthearted and humorous in parts, and also has elements of heartbreak and romance. I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next! Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

I thought the book was wonderful i love a magical book and it had all the cosy vibes , but also gave me those funny chilly feels down my spine i love that ,

so the main character Callie single mum she came across little mad at first but i came to warm to her she has the ability to see ghosts she ends up being offered to go look after this village filled with ghosts called Rowan vale set in the Cotswolds somewhere now i would like to visit ,she really wants to have a normal life but where is the fun in that right ,, with a paranormal romance and lots spooky going on i loved it .
every character i thought was great in their own ways .

i loved the setting It was so perfect and cosy and pretty and the history of the story with lots of magic i thought was wonderful .

I am looking forward to what Sharon brings us next i am looking forward to more of the characters .

i am giving the book 4 .5 whimsical stars

It was a bit of a challenge to read as I couldn’t get invested in Callie. Immi yes, Bodie, ok. The rest of the cast ok. It’s set in the Cotswolds so that’s interesting and so was the premise of how the estate is transferred from owner to owner. Was curious about how the book ended to I pushed thru. It’s an easy, clean read.

Thanks to her ability to see ghosts, Callie is offered to be the owner and protector of the village of Rowan Vale, a place with an unusually high concentration of ghosts. All that Callie ever wanted was to be "normal", but in her new role she'll need to learn to accept her ability, and to care for the wellbeing of the villagers, both alive and dead.

This is a low stakes, cozy story with a dash of fantasy, focusing mainly on how Callie grows into her role, and how she wins the affection and respect of the villagers and ghosts who don’t want her there at first. I wouldn’t call this a romance since the romance plot wasn’t the main focus of the story.

Overall the story was cute and emotional at points. There’s a strong theme of found family, and learning to overcome one’s fears in order to find happiness.

On the other hand, it was really hard for me to connect with the main character.
I could understand her struggle to accept her gift after how her parents had treated her for it in her childhood, but at some points it became grating for me to read her internal monologue with so much self deprecation and insecurity on her part. As a character she lacked agency, and most of the plot depended on other characters making decisions for her.
Of course this could’ve been excused if there had been growth on her part, but she only seems to gain agency when other characters call her out. Her motivations are always external.

This is only the first book in a series so we might still see her grow in future books. I'd be curious to see how the romance progresses too, since there was little and it felt a bit rushed at the end.

Thanks to Boldwood Books via NetGalley for providing an eARC

Callie goes with her daughter to visit Rowan Vale.
While there she sees and talks to several people. Imagine her surprise to find out she’s been talking to ghosts.
This was such a fun book! I loved the whole seeing ghosts and everyone in town knows about it. It’s book one in a new series and I’m looking forward to see where it heads to next.